Monstrous Affections: An Anthology of Beastly Tales

Gr 8 Up—Welcome to a world where monsters coexist with humans. Werewolves, aliens, and robots share space with a monster that makes tea, a vampire who feeds to see people's memories, and krakens who bond with a human. This book is an interesting twist on the age-old idea of monsters, highlighting the monstrous side of humans and the human-ish side of monsters. Narrators Amy Rubinate and Nick Podehl do an excellent job of bringing these stories to life. Some are fairly fast-paced, while others are a bit slower, and the narrators effortlessly navigate between the different narrative rhythms while drawing in listeners. Contributing authors include Paolo Bacigalupi, Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, Cassandra Clare, and Nalo Hopkinson. The prose is delightful, and the editing is masterfully done with smooth transitions between stories. All the characters and plots are well developed for short stories. Listeners interested in monsters, adventure, and romance will have a hard time getting this book out of their mind. Recommended for most libraries.—Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT